(Newser)
–
Lenin must be thrilled with this: Not only did protesters in Ukraine tear down a huge statue of him, they're using old-fashioned capitalism to make some money off it. The 28-foot-tall statue came down last weekend in the eastern city of Kharkiv, and now pieces of it are going up for auction, reports the Guardian. Interested in the former Soviet leader's nose, with mustache still attached? An anti-Russian fighter named Olesky awaits your bid. How about an ear? See Aleksandr Makarenko's Facebook page for details. The catch in both examples: Proceeds will go to Ukrainian troops fighting pro-Russian forces.

“If there is anyone who says, ‘I am ready, let’s say, to provide a battalion of soldiers with winter underwear and uniforms,’ then we will give him [the nose],” says Olesky. “That is, if no one says, better yet, that he’s ready to provide two battalions with the things I have mentioned.” The ear, meanwhile, will pay for a "thermal camera" for the troops. As the Washington Post explains in both story and graphics, a huge number of Lenin monuments have come down in Ukraine in this year alone, even if there's disagreement about the exact symbolism involved.